Preserving the future, educating to beauty

Since then he has mainly been involved in training projects, traveling from the south to the north of the West Bank. “I left early in the morning and before ten at night, I was never home”. A real passion, that of Osama Hamdan, also because nothing came to him, or very little. “Hard times”, he tells us again, destined to become even harder. In that period, he began to notice the difficulty of working within the Ministry. “I was a little naive then and very optimistic about the construction of the country … It was not so easy: every two by three you met a wall” In short, for him it was a great disappointment. Almost wanting to give up everything to go back to Italy. In 2000 there was an encounter with the man who, he tells us, “literally changed my life”. This is Father Michele Piccirillo, a world-famous Franciscan archaeologist. He soon began to work with him and decided to give up the Ministry. In the wake of this meeting was born in 2002 the Mosaic Center Jericho, which deals with restoration and production of mosaics throughout the territory. And the numerous collaborations with experts from abroad and – shortly afterwards – with the Association of the Holy Land also begin. Alongside the restoration, it has always been the passionate and difficult training of young people. “The Mosaic Center is not just restoration of mosaics, it was and is the beginning of the realization of that project of change in society that I carry from the beginning. Here too we had numerous projects, in Jericho, in Ramallah, in Birzeit and even in Jordan and Syria. Then we could travel there too. But our main concern was that the Palestinian boys and girls would learn, that they would start to become aware of beauty, of art, in short, that they become complete people”. Even today, fifteen years after its inception, the Mosaic Center deals with heritage restoration and continuing education for children. In addition to this, there is also the production of mosaics according to ancient Palestinian techniques. “We receive requests from all over the world!” Exclaims Osama satisfied. “It was not easy, and it still is not: every time you have to start over, the boys cannot accept difficult situations and there is a great general disillusionment.” But when we ask him if he would do it again and why, he doesn’t think twice “Absolutely yes!” He answers, “Palestine and these guys really deserve more! Now we also start to get recognition from others and slowly someone changes. It takes very little eh, for example that the boys learn that in a restoration site does not leave in disorder and that plastic glasses should be collected. Which is more beautiful this way. That alone is enough for me, that there is a growth of awareness! “Osama Hamdan smiles: “I’m not rich, I’m fine, I’m better than when I started for sure, but I’m not rich. But I wouldn’t sell any of these small achievements for an easier life without principles. “For several years Osama has been responsible for the Conservation and Development projects in Palestine and since 2018 project leader in Bethany, funded by AICS and some private foundations.